Discover Eco-friendly Furniture

Answer 1

Many people are seeking ways to reduce their personal carbon footprint. Buying eco-friendly furniture is an easy and healthy way to protect the environment and eliminate the toxins that can pollute your home. Eco-friendly furniture is recyclable and renewable. Popular sustainable materials are wood, glass, steel and aluminum. Furniture can carry an eco-friendly label for several reasons.

Sustainable materials are resources that grow faster than they are depleted. Items made with sustainable materials are considered eco-friendly. Bamboo, one of the world�s fastest growing plants, is a popular and sustainable building material. When buying furniture made from bamboo, you should determine whether the wood was treated with formaldehyde or other toxic chemicals. Although bamboo is not locally-sourced, it has other merits that make it one of the greenest building materials.

Paints can also tilt the scale on whether a product is eco-friendly. Regular petroleum-based paints emit indoor pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). If you�re buying painted furniture, check the manufacturer�s information regarding VOC content. Many premium paint products have zero VOCs.

Some eco-friendly furniture has locally-sourced natural materials, such as leather, hemp, feathers, untreated fabrics and pesticide-free organic cotton. Vinyl, polystyrene and polyester are synthetic petroleum-based materials and typically not used in eco-friendly furniture.

Furniture made from wood, specifically planted and harvested to create wood-based products, is considered eco-friendly if it is has not been exposed to toxic chemicals. New furniture that uses reclaimed woods like teak is also eco-friendly.

Conventional fabrics contain heavy metals and VOCs, which are used to dye the fabric, and perfluorochemicals, which are used as stain repellants. Eco-friendly furniture features washable materials and repurposed products, such as foam remnants, that were destined for landfills. Some manufacturers use dense soy-based foam products as an eco-friendly alternative to the traditional petroleum based-foams.

Reclaimed and repurposed materials are also popular choices. You�ll find eco-friendly furniture made from milk jugs and other post-consumer recyclables. These are great materials for children�s furniture, outdoor furniture, tables and benches that must endure rough treatment or withstand the elements.

The Forest Stewardship Council makes it easy to find eco-friendly furniture. This non-governmental organization certifies wood that comes from socially and environmentally-responsible forestry operations. Manufacturers that pay their workers and producers a living-wage practice free trade. The council also has mission to create fair-trade opportunities for smaller low-intensity community-based foresters.

Eco-friendly furniture is good for the planet and good for your health.